Archive for the ‘Farage; Mark Croucher;’ Category

The corruption of some of EUkip’s leadership& NEC is what gives the remaining 10%a bad name!

THE BETTER RUN THE PUB THE LONGER IT LASTS – I GUESS!

Hi,

I do not for a moment feel surprised at this news and nor do I take any pleasure at it since it probably bodes ill for The EUroSceptic Campaigns of Britain.

One must feel sorry for Croucher as one of his earlier spectacular failures he spent much time on the phone telling me it was Margaret Thatcher’s fault and he hated The Conservatives. It may well have been those failures which threw him into the arms of extremist politics with his odious connections with the extreme organisation Searchlight – that resulted in damage to the credibility of EUkip.

It must be confusing for him to now fail again from a base of two recently acquired pubs some distance apart – no doubt this will be someone elses fault as well!

I hope Croucher is able to obtain gainful employ in a field where he might be a sucess as clearly as a publican he was not well suited and as a Press Officer he was a dishonest catastrophy who did much to damage the perception of EUkip as an ethical organisation. Happy top lie and defame for his own gain.

Many will recal the tissue of lies he presented bringing EUkip into disrepute with The Press Complaints Council – Croucher’s corruption became legendary amongst those of integrity in the know in EUkip during his employ by Farage as something of a ‘fixer’.

Recession calls last orders on our pubs?

19 March 2009

UNDER THREAT? :

The Two Brewers in Dartford

– a pub run by Mark Croucher who was forced to leave the job he loved because of the economic downturn.

PUBLICANS throughout north Kent say the credit crunch and costly bureaucracy is threatening their livelihoods and community life, writes Ed Riley.

“The situation for the industry is dire and we fear for the future. Pubs are an intrinsic part of the fabric of our society. Nothing compares to them. When they are gone it will bring a social isolation to the community, and to lose them for good would be a great shame.”explains Mark Croucher, 43, a former landlord of the Two Brewers in Lowfield Street, Dartford.

FEARFUL:

Former landlord Mark Croucher.

He had to sell the pub back to the brewery in June last year after turnover dropped by more than FIFTY per cent, and has now left the pub trade altogether.

It is a familiar story in north Kent and across the country, as the British Beer and Pub Association warn six pubs are closing every day with the entire industry under ‘real threat’.

Last week your Times exclusively revealed the 100-year-old Kings Arms, in Wrotham Road, Meopham, had closed with more than 20 people losing their jobs.

Mr Croucher, 43, of East Hill, Dartford, said: “I don’t know any landlords at the moment that are saying they are doing better this year than they were last year.

“Pubs are losing turnover by anywhere between five to 50 per cent, and that is having a massive affect on them.

“At the Two Brewers, in 2007, over the course of one weekend in May, we made more than £8000. In 2008, over the same weekend, we made less than half that, taking in just £3,400. It is a balancing act all the time as prices go up and turnover falls.

“It is a combination of factors all conspiring against the trade. People can’t afford to drink out in this economic climate and the overheads are phenomenal. The future is the bleakest it has ever been.”

Landlords across north Kent say a combination of factors have affected the pub industry, including the smoking ban, the increase in tax on beer, the low cost of alcohol in supermarkets and the economic downturn.

Pip Nevell, 47, the landlord of the New Inn in Milton Road, Gravesend said: “I was born in a pub, and I always said that I would die in a pub. But I don’t think there is any chance of that now.

“I have tried to keep away from the doom and gloom, but things are just so hard for the landlords now, it used to be a trade that you did ok on, but now, it is a financial burden.

“Pubs are pillars of the community, we help the community. They are places where people come to talk about their problems, where people go to socialise.

“The smoking ban is what hit us really hard at first, and with the recession as well and the increase in taxes on beer, it has really hurt the pub trade. People are just staying away, they can’t afford to come and sit in a pub anymore.”

On Monday the government’s top medical advisor, Sir Liam Donaldson, announced plans for a minimum price on alcohol, which could see the end of cheap drinks in supermarkets, and is aimed at tackling alcohol abuse. He is the same advisor who recommended the smoking ban which started in July 2007.

Terry Orford, 52, landlord of the Painters Ash, in Dene Holm Road, Northfleet, said the plan might encourage drinkers back to pubs.

But despite the proposal which would see the majority of sensible drinkers punished, the government is expected to reject the advice.

Mr Orford said: In the last two years I have noticed a drop in trade. You can try and look at when it first started to get worse and say that it was the smoking ban, but I think really the economic climate is what has really had the most effect.

“The price of beer is also ridiculous now, and when you look at supermarkets charging such low prices for it, how can you compete. If the government does bring in this minimum charge for alcohol to stop the lower prices, it might help.

“But with the situation we are in at the moment, you just don’t know how much longer you are going to last in this trade.”

Mr Croucher added: “It is the cost of beer that hits pubs hard. We hear a lot about how cheap the price of alcohol in supermarkets is now. But I think one of the things that needs to be addressed now, turning the argument on its head, is the cost that some breweries are charging for their beer.

“I have seen before when you can buy a crate of 24 pints of Stella for not much more than £10. If you multiply that to make 80 pints, you are not going to be paying much more than £40. But a brewery will be selling that now for £100 plus VAT. It is a real problem.”

South East MEP Nigel Farage, who is leader of the UK Independence Party, says the government should do more to help the pub industry.

He said: “You talk to any landlord in the pub industry today, and you find out that they are all struggling.

“We need to cut the tax on beer, and we must stop supermarkets running these loss leader pricing policies.

“The smoking ban is another issue. Since it came in, pubs have been struggling, and we would like to see every pub with a smoking room, In Germany, they have brought in the smoking ban, but in three states, they have passed legislation for smoking rooms in pubs.”

“The loss of a pub is devastating to the community. It has always been and always will be, a place to go to talk and meet and get together. There has to be a place where people can have the right to go and smoke and go and drink after work.”

An HM Treasury spokesperson said: “The changes to alcohol duty announced in Budget 2008 will raise revenue that will be used to make further progress towards the Government’s target of halving child poverty on the way to eradicating it by 2020.

“As with all taxes, alcohol duty is kept under review by the Chancellor as part of the Budget process

Many and varied are the reasons businesses go bust but rarely do they seem to be the fault of the owners if you talk with them – I claim no expertise in this field never having owned or run a business which failed. Luck I presume!

It is surprising that the reporter seems only to have interviewed the failed, the failing and drunks to garner his report – had he thought of interviewing impartial observers or perhaps commercial consultants – surely everyone has been aware for some years as pub prices and pub deals fell in value that the trade had largely failed – hence the ease with which a pub may be leased, bought or obtained and the number stand empty.

It seems to have escaped the perception of many that the clientele for pubs has shrunk – much of which is of the making of the pub chains and publicans themselves. In Chepstow there were at one time 117 licensed premises and today that is down to a struggling handfull as a result of installing TVs – seemingly for the staff! Ever louder music, seemingly for the neighbourhood! Serving drunks in a manner that would formerly never have been tollerated!

Many will recall when pubs had a public bar for smokers and those wishing for entertainment and a ‘snug’ or similar for those able to entertain themselves and frequently smoke free. To accomodate more people these pubs were tore out the walls put in polystyrene fake beams a TV and blaring music and all of a sudden pubs were run by braying fools whose bombast and bullying lost them their bedrock clients and they started to attract drifting ferral packs of binge drinkers – about then some publicans dreamed up the misconception that because they could boil food in a bag and fry the odd thing they were restauranters – after a series of errors most people left the pubs to the ferral drunks, bought a few bottles of wine and stayed at home or visited friends.

You may have noticed as you walk along the streets of your town the dirth of Off Licences as the supermarkets provide a cheaper more convenient range, no fresh veg & fruit merchants – the fishmonger has gone and there aren’t even archery shops or flint axe makers!

The world is changing and it does seem that publicans are slow learners, as of course are a vociferous few remaining mature habitues.

That said – Good luck to you Croucher and I trust you can find a job better suited to your abilities than those you have held in the last 10 years or so that I have known of your antics, and maybe for some 15 years prior for all I know.

TO LEAVE THE EU

What is the exit and survival plan for these United Kingdoms to maximise on the many benefits of leaving The EU. It is the DUTY of our Politicians and Snivil Cervants to ensure the continuity, liberty and right to self determination of our peoples they have a DUTY to protect against crime and secure both our food and our border. NONE of these DUTIES has a single British politician upheld for 40 years. They have drawn their incomes fraudulently and dishonesty.Politicians are failing to tell the truth, but so are almost all wanabe Politicians, the MSM and Snivil Cervants.

The fact is that even if EVERY British MEP wanted change in The EU it would achieve NOTHING.Every single British Politician, of EVERY Party, elected since before we joined the EUropean Common Market, has promised to change The EU’s CAP – In 40 Years they have achieved absolutely NOTHING!

To try to put a value on OUR Freedom is as futile as floccipaucinihilipilification and as odious as the metissage of our societies, as we rummage in the ashes of our ancestors dreams, sacrifices and achievements, the flotsam of our hopes and the jetsam of our lives, consider the Country and Anglosphere which we leave our children and the future, with shame!

Regards,Greg L-W.01291 – 62 65 62

PLEASE POST THIS TAG AS FOLLOWS:ON YOUR eMAILS & BLOGS, FORUM POSTINGS & MAILINGS – GET THE MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE IT IS OUR BEST HOPE AS WHOEVER IS APPOINTED WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE AS PROVED!

I SUGGEST – since there is clearly no political party of repute, advocating or campaigning for withdrawal of these United Kingdoms from the EU and restoration of our independent sovereign, democracy, with Justice & the right to self determination in a free country. Deny the self seeking & meaningless wanabe MEPs the Mythical Mandate for which they clamour. Diktat is imposed from The EU but Law should be made at Westminster, for our Country & our Peoples.